Callaspo's value rises with trade to Angels

I admit it took me a while to join the Alberto Callaspo bandwagon last season, but he ended up having a very nice, surprising year for the Kansas City Royals, hitting .300 and producing runs. For two months of this season, he was one of fantasy's better second basemen. Now that he's been traded to the Los Angeles Angels, I think it only enhances his value moving forward. Callaspo was dealt Thursday for pitcher Sean O'Sullivan and prospect Will Smith, and should become the team's regular third baseman immediately.

AP Photo/Elaine ThompsonAlberto Callaspo entered Friday's action 16th among second basemen on the Player Rater.

The Royals didn't seem to want Callaspo to play regularly back in the spring, forcing Chris Getz into the second-base job and implying Callaspo, arguably the team's second best hitter from 2009 (after Billy Butler), would be an infield reserve. That changed when Alex Gordon got hurt, and Callaspo, who is not a particularly capable defender anywhere on the field, became a regular again. Fantasy owners skeptical about his playing time had no excuses, and enjoyed his early production.

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Eric Karabell

Eric Karabell is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He has worked at ESPN since 1997 and covered fantasy sports for ESPN since 2001, specializing in baseball and football. Eric contributes to ESPN The Magazine and appears on a variety of digital platforms for ESPN.com. He has been honored twice as fantasy sports writer of the year by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, his blog was named best fantasy baseball series for 2007 and he was inducted into the inaugural FSWA Hall of Fame class in 2011.

Eric grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs, and accordingly, favors all Philly teams first, his fantasy teams second. He previously served as ESPN.com's lead NBA editor, and is a former Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer sports writer. Eric is also the author of "The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments," published by Source Books and available in bookstores and online.